ATEN (game)
Another Terra: Empires and Nations (abbreviated ATEN after the Amarna heresy) was a game by Taniciusfox set in the mid-Twentieth Century but incorporating elements of alternate history and fantasy. Following on the heels of several stats-intensive games, it was one of the most mechanically complex games Tanicus managed—ultimately unsuccessfully, as player apathy and a steady rate of dropouts led him to end it after four turns. Gameplay Unlike Tanicius' prior games, ATEN made extensive use of a worldbuilding thread to develop a common history and political outlook for the game proper. The initial map was borderless and both player countries and NPCs were open to flexible definition; prior to the game's start countries were subdivided into roughly equally-sized provinces loosely corresponding to presumed population density. In a preliminary attempt to rationalize parts of the setting, NinjaCow64 introduced magic as a major factor in an ersatz World War, which while adopted as core components of some players' lore, was not integrated into the game's mechanics. Budgeting A country's spendable income could be invested into twelve basic fields: Army/Navy/Air force; offensive/defensive, naval and aerospace tech; education, healthcare and infrastructure; stock and bonds; and espionage. These in turn directly and indirectly influenced a myriad of subcategories. In the pre-game thread players distributed 1000 points between these to define their initial starting position. Economy Countries produced five 'classes' of resources representing agriculture, industrial materials, refined goods, energy, and luxuries, with each servicing different sectors. Actual production was unequal and randomized, often necessitating international trade to meet demand. Players could emphasize production of one class, to the suppression of all others. National productivity was matched against total population, domestic infrastructure, and "human capital" that represented the educated elites. State tax on the total value of national productivity was the primary domestic revenue source; lower tax rates encouraged foreign investment, while higher rates diminished it. Additional revenue was acquired through international trade, which was assumed automatically between all countries at the start. Trade preference was represented by a floating-point between 0-1, with formal treaties enabling an increase up to 2. Additionally, countries kept detailed stock portfolios as a secondary means of income; majority shareholders gained special privileges over dividends and siting company branches; states could also nationalize corporate branches to immediately repossess local assets at a hit to private investor confidence. Each country also controlled a national bank whose primary purpose was to provide loans in emergency situations. While there was no hard-cap on national debt, defaulting carried severe penalties. Countries could access foreign banks through international agreement. Diplomacy A country's overall power and influence was graded on a five-category scale, from Minor Power to Hyperpower, that carried with it specific in-game effects: Minor Powers could not buy stock, take loans, or domestically develop atomic weapons, while Major Powers had increased chance of prototyping WMD. Additionally, national stature modified how many diplomatic meetings could be conducted per-turn with NPC states. Foreign relations were tracked on a dedicated sheet. Approval ranged from 0–100% over five tiers; direct financial investment could improve relations as well as generate tribute ("client income"), though hostile states could freeze or seize assets. Military Unlike previous games, potential army size was determined by a mobilization rate representing a percentage of total population candidate for military service. While military spending was aggregate, actual forces were split into several different unit types with varying maintenance costs. Part of national industry was devoted to arms production that supplied units in the field during war; a country that exhausted its arms stockpile would have to import weapons from external producers. Strategic weapons encompassed atomic bombs and biochemical agents. Odds of development were random but increased with national standing, with more destructive tiers emerging as the game progressed. Espionage Espionage spending directed toward a particular country would accumulate 'points' used for a variety of missions. The number of operations conducted against a single player was theoretically unlimited, but the number of states targetable in a single turn was limited to the NPC summit rate. Major operations may have been posted publicly, but always remained clandestine. Unlike other orders, spy ops were submitted within 48 hours after the turn update. External links * Worldbuilding thread * ATEN game thread Category:Twentieth century games Category:Fantasy games Category:TanIOTs Category:ATEN